Charlene Jennings and her fiancé Craig Fulks left their house April 28 after they discovered mold and plaster dust was making them sick, Jennings said.

The family spent time with a neighbor before Bay County Public School Academy, where two of their couple’s three children go to school, rented the family a hotel room.

Jennings said the family expects to move into a new apartment starting Monday.

The family started noticing a problem in February, Jennings said, when her son Lucas Ellis was sick. She said she thought it was allergies, but after a few days, his condition worsened. Jennings became concerned that there was something in the house making him sick.

In the bathroom, she discovered mold growing between the wall and the plastic wall cover.

“It started growing in the shower. The plastic piece had come away from the wall, and it started growing in between the wall,” Jennings said. “It continued to push (the plastic piece) away from the wall, and then it started seeping out of the wall.”

Jennings checked one of the cracks and was disgusted to see the mold growing between the plastic and the wall.

She said plaster also was breaking from the ceiling, settling in their clothing and furniture. Jennings, Fulks and their three children had rented the house since 2010. The Bay City Times could not reach the property owner for comment.

They left the house and their possessions, concerned their property contained contaminants.

Since they've left the house, Lucas Ellis, whom doctors diagnosed with pneumonia in February, has grown healthier, his mother said.

Jennings approached Lucas’ teacher Shalynn Jones to let her know that he was having a tough time away from his home. Jones then let the school’s principal, Jennifer Parrish, know the family’s situation.

The school rented a hotel room for the family, and staff pooled resources so the family could purchase clothes and food.

“God bless their hearts, because if they didn’t (help), we’d be in a shelter, probably separated,” Jennings said.

Fulks works at the school as part of the afterschool program. He said he was thankful for all the help the school has given them.

“It was like the worst thing in the world that could happen, happened, and then the best thing in the world. It’s like some angels came along,” Fulks said.